News

TechCrunch: Amazon Tablet Slated for November Release

If you think Amazon.com is stuck with the e-book reader cliche, well, you might want to think again. According to TechCrunch's report, the online retailer has made plans to unveil a 7-inch tablet in November, which makes it just about the same size as RIM's PlayBook and also smaller than the iPad 2. With a rumored US$250 retail tag, Amazon's upcoming tablet will also be integrated with their $79-a-year Internet streaming service (Amazon Prime) for free.

In terms of market share, Apple is still leading the way with a commanding three-quarter slice of the pie. Hewlett Packard raised the white flag recently after announcing it will kill off its TouchPad series after a final production run. Sony Corp also released its Tablet S recently, although only time will tell if consumers would receive the 9.4-inch tablet with open arms. As for Amazon's soon-to-be tablet, analysts are pretty upbeat about the mobile device since it does beat the iPad on price. Amazon might even sell as many as 5 million units in the fourth quarter, as estimated by Forrester Research.